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The best 2016-2017 HS state tournament games: 5-1

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A look back at some of the best high school state tournament games from the 2016-2017 academic year.

MetroNews has broadcast rights for the football Super Six, boys and girls basketball state tournaments and the baseball state tournament – those 54 games were used in compiling this list. Games 5-1 are below:

5 – CLASS AAA GIRLS BASKETBALL SEMIFINAL: HUNTINGTON 45, SOUTH CHARLESTON 41

Class AAA girls basketball semifinal: Huntington 45, South Charleston 41

Huntington used a final-minute rally to beat South Charleston 45-41 in the Class AAA girls basketball state tournament semifinals.

The top-seed Highlanders trailed 41-37 with two minutes to go, but finished the final 1:51 of the game on an 8-0 run.

It was senior Jordyn Dawson putting Huntington back on top, 43-41, with a short, floating jumper along the baseline and just 55 seconds to go.

4 – CLASS AA BOYS BASKETBALL TITLE: FAIRMONT SENIOR 59, CHAPMANVILLE REGIONAL 54

Class AA boys basketball title game: Fairmont Senior 59, Chapmanville 54

Fairmont Senior rallied in the fourth quarter, in front of an electric crowd, to win its second straight boys basketball state championship.

The Polar Bears trailed by 12 points in the first half and by as many as 10 points in the second half before sparking a fourth quarter run, leading for only five of the game’s 32 total minutes.

A 3 from Fairmont Senior’s Taevon Horton with 2:27 remaining in the game cut Chapmanville’s lead to 50-48.

Jalen Bridges followed with another 3 to put the Polar Bears in front, 51-50 and 1:56 to go. A steal, layup-and-one from Fairmont Senior’s Deandre Payne extended the Polar Bears’ lead out to 54-50 with 1:28 remaining as the Polar Bears prevailed.

3 – CLASS A BASEBALL SEMIFINAL: RAVENSWOOD 5, TYGARTS VALLEY 4 (8 INNINGS)

Class A baseball semifinal: Ravenswood 5, Tygarts Valley 4 (8 innings)

In the best game of the 2017 high school baseball state tournament, Ravenswood erased an early 4-0 deficit and battled back to beat Tygarts Valley 5-4 on a walk-off in the eighth inning.

Nic Taylor hit the winning RBI double, scoring Ciah Kennedy from first base.

“It was unreal,” Kennedy said. “The stoplight (from head coach Wes Swain) wasn’t on – it was unreal. I can’t believe he gave it to me. It was all adrenaline – I checked and looked at the right fielder, all I saw was his back, so I knew that I was going to be trying to score.”

2 – CLASS AAA BOYS BASKETBALL SEMIFINAL: CAPITAL 52, MORGANTOWN 50

Class AAA boys basketball semifinal: Capital 52, Morgantown 50

No. 1 Capital erased a six-point fourth quarter deficit and survived a flurry of final minute dramatics to beat defending state champion Morgantown in the Class AAA semifinals.

The game’s key swing came with under 30 seconds left as Capital’s Leondre Rogers got to the rim and completed a layup-and-one, cutting Morgantown’s lead to 50-49 and 26.7 seconds remaining.

On the ensuing Morgantown inbounds, Capital’s Jabbar Thompson stole the ball and turned it into a quick layup, giving the Cougars a 51-50 advantage with 21 seconds left sending the Capital crowd into a frenzy.

Those were Thompson’s only points in nine minutes of action. He came into Friday’s game averaging six points per contest.

After a Morgantown timeout, Nicky Solomon’s potential go-ahead bucket on the other end was short for the Mohigans. Rogers followed with by hitting one of two free throws, giving Capital the 52-50 lead and three seconds left.

Torin Hanson had a half-court shot at the buzzer for Morgantown that banked just off the rim as the Cougars held on.

1 – CLASS AA BOYS BASKETBALL QUARTERFINAL: LINCOLN 63, BLUEFIELD 59

Class AA boys basketball quarterfinal: Lincoln 63, Bluefield 59

Lincoln pulled off one of the biggest upsets in postseason play, knocking off 22-win and No. 2 Bluefield in the Class AA state tournament quarterfinals.

The Cougars entered state tournament action under .500 at 12-13 overall.

Chase Riley was the star for Lincoln, finishing with 28 points on 12 of 23 shooting.

Bluefield held a 26-24 advantage at the half and 42-40 lead going into the fourth quarter.

With the Beavers missing five straight field goals midway in the final stanza, Lincoln built a four-point lead with a Riley jumper, putting the Cougars in front 50-46 and 5:08 remaining.

Up 61-59 with 47 seconds left, Riley missed two straight free throws, leaving the door open for Bluefield. Coming out of a timeout with 17 seconds to go, the Beavers’ Cody Fuller missed a potential go-ahead 3.

After the miss, Riley answered quickly with a breakaway layup and the game-clinching score for the Cougars as the clock ran out.

“The first thing that was going through my mind was missing those two free throws,” Riley said. “I told the guys they had to pick me up and get a defensive stop. I saw that ball go off the rim and I just took off after it. Nobody was around it – I couldn’t believe it. I just took off with it and finished the deal.”





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